The Triumph flat track team was at the Sacramento Mile. They run a Bonneville based bike like mine. Their tuner is Bill Gately and I asked him some questions. Last night he sent me the dyno run for the mile bike. It is very similar to my engine when I use the milder #813 all-purpose grind cams. The engine has an extremely flat torque curve and puts out over 100 horsepower for a wide range of rpm.

The expert at Kibblewhite told me the carbs and filters I am using are costing me about 15 horsepower. I had 87 HP so 87 + 15 = 102 and that is not much lower than the mile bike.

I was going to do the filters this year and the carbs the next. The FIM entry fee is over $1,000 this year so it would be an expensive R and D session. So, using a complete lack of brains or logic, I decided since I can barely afford the entry I will spend even more for carbs so I have a chance at a record. I ordered them.

Near month's end Rose will get the mail, open up the monthly bank statement, and say "What the ... ?"

Most racers at the Sacramento mile used K and N filters and this included the Triumphs. They used socks over theirs. This is what I am doing. The picture shows the filter, sock, and sock on filter.

The filters never worked for me in the past. Grit got through them. They were small pod filters that fit on the carb ends. These filters are at least two times bigger and hopefully that will reduce the suction force and promote good filtration.

The filters go where there is the battery, fuse box, starter solenoid, and a couple of relays. The battery is moved up and back and I am making a new battery box. This is complicated. I use tabs and clips to hold it together while I am designing it while I make it. They will also hold it together for the welder.

Bo, it's too bad you're so far away and across an imaginary line that causes nothing but issues. If you brought me a welding job that well put together and that clean I will assure you the charges would be light and the welds pretty.

Hi Peter. In the past I thought borders were sort of a troublesome formality. These days things are different.

Everything is temporary some philosophers say. Parts on my bike except for the frame and engine cases are all "short timers." Things are changed around when I learn about or can afford more better stuff. So, the air box was brought to the welder today. I said "these tabs are where I want the welds. Pull off the clips, grind down the tabs, and weld over the slots and remaining tabs. The end product should be ten welds about an inch long. The box will strong enough and be be easier for me to take apart and modify with this minimal welding. This is the "tab" system.

This Triumph was built in the factory at Hinckley. My youngest son, Werner, sent me this. It explains a lot about why the bike acts like it does.https.youtu.be/HKEuzxC4eGc

The box is done and it has the required metal battery hold down strap. The brackets on the side are for the turn signal relay, some other relay of unknown purpose, and the starter solenoid. The other side has a bracket for the rear brake fluid reservoir. The back side of the box is the front side of the rear fender.

The box moves a lot of components back so there is a clutter free tunnel on each side of the frame for big air filters. Lots of filter area is important and for both lowering restriction and promoting filtration. This is an improvement I shoulda done years ago.

Thanks, Ed. A few more pictures are shown. Anyone who wants over 100 horsepower from one of these will probably need to do something similar. Hopefully this info be useful.

The anti-gravity battery is lithium ion based and it is made here in the US. They are rated by cell number with 4 cells being the smallest and 24 cells the biggest. A 12 cell one is used in this 1000cc bike. It is rated up to 1200cc for street/dirt and up to 1500cc for race use. The batteries come in small and large case versions. The small case one is shown here and it is tinier than the OEM lead acid battery. The large case version is the same size as the conventional one. All are much, much lighter than the lead acid ones. A large case model is what I use in the street bike and this small case one is for the race scoot.

These batteries operate with a 13.2 volt normal charge. The charging system and the rest of the electrics need to be able to deal with this weirdness. The street Bonneville is fuel injected and it has no problems using a lithium battery in spite of the vast amount of complex electronics on it. Not all bikes can do this and it is a good idea to do some research before installing one. I do not expect any problems with use on the much simpler race bike.

Our drills, sawzalls, and other tools that use lithium batteries can discharge them and we recharge them with no problem. These cells are different and discharged to below 10.5 volts can damage them. Care is needed with total loss systems to avoid this. These batteries are not made for deep cycle use. Also, a special battery charger is needed.

The last picture shows the little battery in the frame. The back side of the battery case is the back fender so there is no way I can move it any closer to the rear.